Names That Mean Short

The name given to a short novel, often light, romantic and sentimental, a novelette is longer than a short story but shorter than a novella or novel, while still having a complete narrative. In music terms, it refers to a short piece of lyrical music. 
 With Nova a popular choice and Novella quietly seeing more usage, Novelette could gain more attention in coming years, alongside the likes of Scarlette, Colette, and Odette.

Novelette

Tomkin is a diminutive form of Thomas, with the affectionate suffix '-kin,' which historically indicated 'little one' or 'son of.' This medieval diminutive form gives the name a charming, slightly archaic quality. While not commonly used in modern times, Tomkin has a distinctive character that sets it apart from the more frequently used Tom or Tommy. And it can make a unique honor name or nickname for boy named after Grandpa Thomas.


Tomkin

It feels like a slenderized modern version, but Jennet actually has deep roots. Could this plucky name rescue Janet and Jenny from their datedness?

Jennet

A gentle, musical sounding name, Liano is used as a short form for Spanish and Italian names such as Juliano, Aureliano, or Emiliano, or as a masculinisation of Liana, the name of a vine that grows in jungles. In this case, it derives from the French liane, which describes the way the liana climbs up and wraps itself round trees to the reach the sun.

Liano

A popular name in the Netherlands that's arguably more attractive than the original, Sem is a Dutch variant of the Biblical Shem who was one of the sons of Noah. Only ever given to a handful of boys in the US, it is currently in the Dutch Top 10 and a familiar option in Belgium and Italy. It might also be used as a short form of Semion or Semyon in Russia. 



This sparky international variant of Margaret was originally a diminutive of Meta, a short form used in Germany, Scandinavia and Slovenia. Now, it has shifted to be a name in its own right, with notable bearers including swimmer Metka Sparavec, photo model and stylist Metka Albrecht, and skier Metka Munih.

Metka

As a word name, Court brings with it a plethora of potential meanings, from a legal gathering, to a stage for basketball or tennis, to a street. Sharp and strong, Court feels right at home with other rugged picks like Rhett and Jett. And yet, Court remains remarkably rare in the US. The alternate spelling Cort is only slightly more popular.

The longer form Courtney, although unisex, has comfortably sided with the girls for a long time. But now, maybe Court could be a nod to Mom, or Aunt Courtney.

Court

Popular in the Netherlands, Lieve is a considered both a short form of the grand Godelieve and an affectionate word name meaning "dear, sweet, love". Pronounced with two syllables, it might appeal to those who also like Liv or Livia. 

Lieve

Lone is a feminine short form of Abelone and Apollonia used in Germany, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. It relates back to the Greek Apollo, which has a variety of different meanings including "destroyer", "strength", or "father of light".
 
It is also used as a unisex name in Myanmar and Botswana, in which case it might derive from the Burmese word for "round" or possibly the Sotho name Lebone meaning "light".
 
It might also be used as a short form of Ilona, Leona, Leonie, or Magdelone, making it a truly international choice. 
 
Notable bearers of the name include wildlife conservationist Lone Drøscher Nielsen and actress Lone Hertz.

Lone

Pleun is a unisex Dutch name deriving from Apollonius or Apollonia, although now it ranks far higher for girls in its native land than the original form. In 2024, it ranked in the Top 140 in The Netherlands. The name is said somewhere between "plone" (rhyming with phone) and "ploon" (rhyming with moon), but it may be worth <a href="https://forvo.com/languages/nl/">listening to it if you're unfamiliar</a>.

Pleun

A cute Finnish mini-name originating from Johannes.

Hannu

Suze can be a diminutive of Susan or Susanne.' Suze also exists as an independent Dutch name, pronounced SHU-sha, 

While Suze is one of the fastest-rising girl names in the Netherlands, no baby girls were named Suze in the US in the US last year, perhaps because it's too close to the dated Susie or because of pronunciation confusion. The best-known person with the name in the US, financial columnist Suze Orman, pronounces her name like Susie.

Suze

Bastiaan is a common Dutch form of Bastian, a short form of Sebastian that stands on its own. While the double A is not intuitive for English speakers, the name is widely used in the Netherlands.

Bas is its own popular nickname.

Bastiaan

Sasa is a simple name with complex origins. In the Cherokee language, it means goose. It might also be a Hungarian or other Easterm European short form of Sarah or Alexandra, ala Sasha.

Some sources also claim that Sasa is a Japanese name, meaning bamboo or help, aid.

Sasa

Peppy is undeniably cute, but we bet that after a while the jokes aren't.

Peppy

Cay is a rare respelling of the retro nickname Kay, but one that may gain ground as a name that's both simple and unique. Like Kay, it can be a diminutive for any of the hundreds of Catherine variations that start with a C or of more modern names such as Caylee or Cadence. Or it can stand on its own as a sleek contemporary nickname-name.

Best associated with the Judy Blume novel of the same name, Deenie is a retro feeling nickname choice. Deenie is gaining fresh style traction along with similar boyish nickname-names for girls: Scottie, Frankie, Stevie.
 
A bit of name trivia: Deenie shot up the Nameberry charts in the Summer of 2026, after it featured in the New York Times Connections puzzle in May of the same year. Could this lead to Deenie making an appearance in the official stats in the future?

Deenie

This biblical place-name for the region now known as Yemen started to feel fresh again as the name of the heroine of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, played on screen by Cate Blanchett.
 Sheba is probably more ready for prime time than the long-form mother name, although Bathsheba, which means "seventh daughter," has a rich Biblical and literary history. 
 The Queen of Sheba was a monarch of the ancient kingdom of, yes, Sheba

Sheba

One of many Irish names that, despite pronunciation challenge, are beginning to be taken into consideration here as authentic Celtic versions of familiar English names.

Aoibh

For such a short, simple name, Pela has many possible derivations and meanings. It's most commonly cited as a short form of Penelope, but can also be a nickname for Pelagia, a name related to the sea.

Some sources say Pela is an Indian name meaning wax, while others say it's Hawaiian for demon. 

Pela might also be short for Pelaiah a Hebrew name meaning "the lord's marvel".